How To Juggle Time As A College Student
February 28th, 2010
With the economy in the lackluster situation it currently stands in, everyone's wallet is pinched-those of the college student especially. Yes, we can get loans, but who really wants to spend the next 30 years paying them off? Parents that used to support their college age students no longer can, the prices of textbooks and goods in general is rising, it's extremely difficult to get a job in a bustling college town, and even if you do get a job and can juggle it with school, minimum wage is the expectation. I know-been there, done it, still doing it. Living off of Raman noodles and Monster drinks, however, is not the answer; in this economic crisis there are definitely ways to take advantage of resources around you to save a great deal of money and earn some too-and still live well.
Every college student suffers from textbook-induced poverty. What makes it even worse is that a book that costs $60, even used, is lucky to get you maybe $18 back in cash at the end of the semester. Reducing the costs of textbooks can save hundreds of dollars, and buying used books is not always the answer. Timing is. Instead of attempting to buy all of your books before classes begin, wait. Many classes have a main text and supplementary ones. Purchase only the main text at first; after all, most college bookstores only have a 2 day return policy, so if you try to return a book that you never even opened 3 weeks into the course, you're out a lot of money. Secondly, refer to the teacher's syllabus and research the books at the beginning of the semester. You'd be astonished at how many full texts can be found online at archives such as Google Books. Another suggestion is to check the online library catalog for your school. University libraries have everything-and even if they don't have it at your location, there's an inter-library loan system that will get in the book you need specifically. Just be sure to request the book about a week before you need it. There are so many instances where teachers only choose to use one or two sections out of an expensive text for only a few weeks of the course-utilizing techniques such as I've suggested is a guaranteed way to save hundreds of dollars each semester. I only wish I'd have figured this out sooner myself!
Another area college students severely hit in is the area of supplies. We're forever taking notes, printing, copying…it's just a way of life. It may seem insignificant at first, but the durable spiral notebooks that most people choose to use in college run anywhere from $5 to $9 apiece. For the standard workload of five classes, that's up to $45 spent in notebooks that you will absolutely never fill up in one semester. I personally am an English and History major-two of the disciplines which require the most writing and have the most detail-intensive lectures-and I have never in my college career filled more than half a notebook. Using one notebook for more than one subject gets confusing and in the end, there's always wasted paper, spiral rings bent out of shape, and the like. Instead, save your money and invest in one or two larger binders with loose leaf paper and dividers. Not only will everything be in one spot, but notes are easy to clamp together and file away at the end of the semester and you never need to worry about running out of space like you would if you use one of those 3-subject notebook. It always seems like there's too much in one section and not enough in the other. Printer cartridges are another matter, running anywhere from $20 to $50 apiece, and most printers take two at a time and most college students on average go through about two sets of cartridges. All put together, that's close to $200 spent every year-just on ink! What few people know is that many universities have free printing labs run by student governments and each student is entitled to anywhere from 200 to 300 free pages of printing per semester. Is it a bit of an inconvenience at times to have to walk to the printing lab, sure, but all things considered I personally would rather take a walk than spend upwards of $200.
This, however, is just in the academic world and, let's face it, college students do a whole lot of living beyond that. We all need to eat, and we all go for convenience but the truth is that we need to start cooking for ourselves and go out to the actual grocery stores. On campus locations that sell food and drinks, even vending machines, understand that we want what we want when we want it and we'll pay for it. But honestly, the prices are getting ridiculous. Sodas that used to cost $1 are now $1.25 or $1.50 and even a small bottle of orange juice costs around $2. Selling these items every day to people-I know. It adds up over time. Instead of getting two sodas out of a vending machine every day (we all know how much we live on caffeine), just go to the grocery store and buy the Pepsi-there's 4 for $10 deals all the time. Do the math: at the grocery store, you'd get 32 sodas for $10. On campus, it would cost at least $40 and quite frankly, I'd like to have the difference in my pocket. Thirty extra dollars every two weeks or so adds up. Another idea-eat in. Take the time three nights a week to cook an actual meal. Lunch or dinner out at someplace like Moe's runs about $7, microwave dinners run about $4 and coffee out is a standard $2.50…that's about $100 a week in just bare minimum food, not to mention snacking. On the other hand, it takes about $12 to make a lasagna that will last for three days and maybe $10 for bread and coldcuts or peanut butter that will last a week. Bottom line-make your lunch, make a few dinners a week, save money, and live a lot healthier.
So, what was I talking about when I said that there were ways you could save hundreds? It's possible that you could save thousands, no joke. By taking advantage of what's around you and putting in a little more thought and effort, it's actually quite easy to reclaim a good deal of money back!
